Cutting device for mowing-machines.



No. 723,397. PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

J. W. LATIMER. I CUTTING DEVICE FOR MOWING MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1903. V

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N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. LATIMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CUTTING DEVICE FOR MOWlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 723,397, dated March 24,1903. Application filed January 2, 1903. Serial No. 137,455. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. LATIMER, of

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cutting Devices forMowing-Machines, of which the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates to'the cutting mechanismof mowing-machines, theend in view being to provide improved means for holding thereciprocating knives in constant contact with the fingers orledger-plates thereof with any desired degree of pressure, thus makingthe knife-sections self-sharpening in effect and resulting in a cleanshear cut. I also secure simplicity of construction and compactness indesign by inclosing the spring and one arm of the lever, which itactuates, within the body of the guard, thus avoiding obstructions inthe rear of the cutting-knives. Undue friction is avoided byautifrictionrollers. The pressure of the roller-bearing arm upon thesections'of the,reciprocating knives is constant and at a pointsufficiently forward to be effective.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is afragmentary plan of the cutting apparatusof a mower, the central finger shown therein embodying my improvement.Fig. 2 is plan of the central finger described with the roller-bearinglever and the ledger-plate removed, and Fig. 3 is a partial section onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the finger-bar of a mower, B thecutter-bar, and b the sections secured thereto. 0' represents the guardsor fingers secured to the said finger-bar A and are of the ordinary typeusually used on mowers.

O is a modified form of finger embodying my improvement. Instead ofhaving the rearwardiy-extending lip immediately above the sections ofthe cutter-bar the finger is provided with the shoulders o c,substantially in line with the points of the said reciprocating knives.The finger is also provided with a recess or chamber beneath theledger-plate d, adapted to receive the coilspring D. This is, however,by preference, as it is to be understood that the coil-spring is placedwithin the body of the guard as a matter of convenience and design. Itsfunction evidently would remain the same were it 'the pivotal bearingthereof.

above or without the body of the said finger and a flat spring could besubstituted for the said coil-spring D. The ledger-plate d is secured tothe finger by the rivet d at its rearward end and forwardly by therecess at the base of the shoulders c c. E is a bell-crank leverjournaled between the said shoulders c c by. a pin 6. This bell-cranklever is actuated by the spring D, which bears against the short arm,extending downwardly from A plunger F is preferably interposed betweenthe end of said short arm and the'spriug D, so that the forward end ofthe spring-chamber can be reduced in size, thus better enabling the saidspring-chamber to be formed in the body of a finger of normal size. Thehorizontallyextending arm of the bell-crank leverE is preferablybifurcated and provided on its free end with the antifriction-rollers eand 6 These antifriction-rollers e and c are adapted to contact theupper surface of the reciprocatin g knives, and when they are subjectedto a downward pressurethe effect will be to cause them to hold the said.reciprocating knives in contact with the wearing-surface of the fingers.The plunger F, inclosed with the spring D within the recess beneath theledger-plate, is 'soguided .by the walls of the recess that its forwardend will be held in contact by the pressure of the said spring with thelower end of the downwardly-extending arm of the bell-crank lever E. Thespring D thus acting through the plunger F and the bell-crank lever Ewill exert a downward pressure upon the antifriction-rollers e and 6 asis clearly shown in Fig. 3. The amount of this downward pressure will ofcourse be determined by the strength of the said spring D, and should besufficient to hold the knife-sections in constant contact with thecooperating surface of the fingers when in operation. Thebell-crankleverbeingconstructed with its horizontal arm bifurcated andreceiving two rollers instead of one thus brings the contact-points ofthe rollers and sections some distance laterally from the central lineof the fingers. This offset or lateral securement of the rollers issufficient to insure by their joint operationacontinuous contact withthe upper surface of the knife-sections and in this way prevent therollers from dropping between adjacent sections when they are made toreciprocate under the said rollers. This is clearly indicated in Fig. 1,Where the inner roller e is shown above the space between two sectionsand the outer roller 6 alone contacts the section. In this figure thesections in moving to the position indicated by the dotted lines willcause the outer roller 6 tocease contact and the inner roller 6 to againengage, thus preventing vibration of the arm E and also insuring acontinuous contact and pressure between the said arm E and thereciprocating knives.

ing and holding down the rear portion of the cutter-bar. As many ofthese fingers 0, provided with spring-held rollers, may be secured tothe finger-bar as are found necessary to hold the said reciprocatingknives in contact with the cooperating elements with the desired degreeof pressure.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a mowing and harvesting machine, the combination of thefinger-bar, fingers secured thereto, reciprocating knives, and aspring-actuated hell-crank lever pivotally secured to said fingers andadapted to hold the reciprocating knives in yielding contact with thesaid fingers, substantially as described.

. 2. In a mowing and harvesting machine, the combination of thefinger-bar, fingers secured thereto, reciprocating knives, and aspring-actuated bell-crank lever pivotally "connected to one of saidfingers at a point in advance of the reciprocating knives, one arm ofthe said lever extending rearwardly and adapted to hold in yieldingcontact the said reciprocating knives with the said fingers,substantially as described.

G is the usual clip for guid-- 3. In a mowing and harvesting machine,the combination of the finger-bar, fingers secured thereto,reciprocating knives, a spring inclosed in the body of one of saidfingers, a bell-crank'lever pivotally secured to' such finger, actuatedby said spring and adapted to hold the reciprocating knives in properposition relative to said fingers, substantially as described.

4. In a mowing and harvesting machine, the combination of thefinger-bar, fingers secured thereto, reciprocating knives, a springinclosed in the body of one of said fingers, a bell-crank leverpivotally secured to such finger and actuated by said spring, the freeend of the horizontally-extending arm of the said bell-crank lever beingprovided with an antifriction device which bears against the saidreciprocating knives and holds them in the proper position relative tothe said fingers, substantially as described.

5. In a mowing and harvesting machine,

the combination of the finger-bar, fingers secured thereto,reciprocating knives, a spring inclosed in the body of one of saidfingers, a bellcrank lever pivotally secured to such finger and actuatedby said spring, the free end of the said horizontally-extending arm ofthe said bell-crank lever being bifurcated and provided with twoantifriction-rollers contacting the reciprocating knives at positionslaterally disposed relative to the center line of the finger and adaptedto hold the said reciprocating knives against the said fingers,substantially as described.

JOHN W. LATIMER. In presence of T. H. ALFREDS, J. C. WARNER.

